eyewitness basics

7/29/2019 Eyewitness Basics

1/16

Pros & Cons of Testimonial

Evidence


2/16

Testimonial evidence includes oral or written statements given to

police as well as testimony in court by people who witnessed anevent.

Eyewitness accounts can be a useful tool in helping investigators

with analyzing a crime scene, but are not viewed to be highly

reliable. In addition, eyewitness identifications (right or wrong) canhave a big influence on the outcome of an investigation or trial.

People are likely to view the same scene in different ways

depending on their positions, line of sight, familiarity with the area,

and other factors that can interfere with a persons ability toremember details.

What is testimonial evidence?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4852620n


3/16

Directions:

You will have 30 seconds to view the next screen.

Try to memorize all 20 items you see!

You are NOT allowed to write anything down

You CANNOT talk to anyone else.

Memory Challenge


4/16

Items to remember ...


5/16


6/16

What do you remember?

You have 2 minutes to list as many of the items as you can!

How did you do?

All 20Awesome

15-19Great

10-14Pretty swell

5-9Could be better

4 or LessWake up


7/16

According to The Innocence Project (2008)

"Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest

cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a

role in more than 75% of convictions overturned

through DNA testing." Still, the criminal justicesystem profoundly relies on eyewitness identification

and testimony for investigating and prosecuting crimes

(Wells & Olson, 2003).

Did you know?

What factors affect a persons memory

and their ability to identify a suspect?


8/16

Age may play a role in the accuracy of an eyewitness statement or

identification of a suspect. Studies have shown that when a lineupcontains the actual culprit, both young children and elderly perform well,

but when the lineup does not contain the culprit there is a higher rate of

mistaken identifications.

The race of the witness may also play a role. The Cross Race Effect

(CRE) is a phenomenon in which people are better at recognizing facesof their own race rather than those of other races.

The use of drugs can alter a persons ability to recall the events of a

crime even after they are no longer under the influence.

A persons memory of an event can be influenced by other witnesses,investigators, and/or the media. Investigators use open-ended questioning

and follow procedures for conducting line-ups to limit their influence on

a witness memory of an event or identification of a suspect.

Witness Factors


9/16

A crime that is extremely traumatic for an eyewitness may affect his/her

recall of the event. For example, a witness confronted with a weapon

tends to focus on the weapon rather than theperpetrators face.

Someone who is able to focus on a perpetrator's face for a minute or

longer will tend to have a more accurate memory than someone who saw

the person for only a few seconds.

Studies have shown that faces that are either highly attractive, highlyunattractive, or distinctive are more likely to be accurately recognized.

Simple disguises, such as hats or sunglasses, can interfere with accurate

eyewitness identification. However, body piercings and tattoos increases

the likelihood of an accurate identification.

The time of day in which the crime occurred as well as a persons viewof the scene may affect what a he/she is able to see. In addition, a person

who is familiar with the area in which the crime took place, may have a

better recall of the positions of the victims or suspects.

Crime Scene & Suspect Factors


10/16

Crime Scene Challenge

Now that your eyes and brain are warmed up, lets

test your observation skills a bit more.

You will have 2 minutes to study the photograph of a

crime scene on the next slide.

Try to pay attention to details as you will be asked 10questions about the crime scene!

You are not allowed to write anything down until

after the time is up.

Ready?


11/16


12/16

Answer each question below

1. What color coffee mug was in the picture? Blue Red Yellow

2. When was the deadline? Yesterday Today Tomorrow

3. What time was on the clock on the wall? 10:40 11:05 1:55

4. How many sticky notes were on the whiteboard? Four Six Eight

5. Which of the following was NOT in the picture? Stapler Trash CanPrinter

6. What was the name on the plaque on the desk? Bill Brian Carl

7. What color was the victim's shirt? Black Blue Red

8. How many plants were in the picture? None One Two

9. What was the color of the marker in the desk drawer? Red Blue

Green

10. Where was the book in the picture? On a box In the trash can Under

the body


13/16

Answer each question below.

1. What color coffee mug was in the picture? Blue Red Yellow

2. When was the deadline? Yesterday Today Tomorrow

3. What time was on the clock on the wall? 10:40 11:05 1:55

4. How many sticky notes were on the whiteboard? Four Six Eight

5. Which of the following was NOT in the picture? Stapler Trash Can Printer

6. What was the name on the plaque on the desk? Bill Brian Carl

7. What color was the victim's shirt? Black Blue Red

8. How many plants were in the picture? None One Two

9. What was the color of the marker in the desk drawer? Red Blue Green

10. Where was the book in the picture? On a box In the trash can Under the body


14/16

Facial Composites

Investigators work with sketch artists and eyewitnesses to create

facial composites, or sketches of a persons face. Today many

police departments are using facial reconstruction software to

help them with this task.

The composite may be used internally to assist officers inidentifying the suspect or used externally through local media

(radio, TV, and newspaper) to solicit leads from citizens.

FACES A software program that

offers many options to help you

recreate a persons facial features.


15/16

The shape of the face

The shape of the jaw

The shape of the eyes

The shape of the nose

The width of the neck

The shape & protrusion of the earsThe presence of facial piercing

The presence of facial hair, its color, & location

The presence of facial markings, such as scars or tattoos

Forehead or other facial linesThe presence of eyeglasses or sunglasses

The length, color, & texture of the persons hair

You will have a chance to try to create a facial composite. You

will need to pay close attention to the following features:
http://www.iqbiometrix.com/media_center_videos.html


16/16

Thank you

Anjoe

Afzal

Akshay Sagar

Hidayat

eyewitness basics

Documents